Kaweco Al Sport - Quick Question

[moomaloo]

Hi there. I'm thinking of buying an aluminium version of this classic compact pen but I can't decide between the 'raw' or the 'silver' finish. My question is this: is the silver finish simply a brushed, matte version of the raw (which is solid aluminium polished to a high gloss) or is it coated in some way?

 

Thanks.

[Chrissy]

From images I've seen the raw looks like it's a polished finish and the silver looks like it's matt.

[almoore]

Hi

 

I have the shiny version and as far as I can tell it is polished to a high gloss and this is how it is listed on Cult Pens

 

Al

[moomaloo]

Thanks folks. If the 'silver' finish is simply an unpolished solid aluminium then that's the one for me - I want something that will become nicely aged through use but without a surface paint or other coating which will get scratched off - if that makes sense... I know the highly polished 'raw' finish will dull over time but it is almost too shiny for me to begin with...

[aeba]

I don't have any of the matte coloured ones, but I would suspect that the silver one is hard coated like the other matte colours.

[ingolf]

Hi moomaloo:

 

Both Kaweco AL Sport are small and beautiful pens.

My experience is that the silver finish is a coated silver and is similar to the look of Apple´s MacBook devices. Whereas the raw finish is more a "workhorse" finish.

 

That means if you get scratches on the silver finish model then the scratches are flaws. Scratches on the raw finish model will look like patina .

 

 

Whatever model you choose you should consider to add a clip. And you should also think about a gold nib. The steel nib is pretty good but the gold nib is far better.

 

Regards, Ingolf.

 

[ENewton]

The steel nib is pretty good but the gold nib is far better.

 

 

 

Would you explain more specifically how the gold nib compares with the steeI one? I asked on another thread, probably more than a year ago, and someone answered that the gold nib feels the same as the steel.

 

I asked because I love the design of the Sport and am tempted by the metal ones but have been disappointed with the nib on my Classic Sport. Converting my pen to an eyedropper and using the wettest possible inks has helped quite a bit, but the idea of upgrading the nib keeps drifting back into my mind. If I got a metal Sport and the nib was similar to the steel, I wouldn't have the option to boost the flow by making it an eyedropper.

[ingolf]

 

Would you explain more specifically how the gold nib compares with the steeI one? I asked on another thread, probably more than a year ago, and someone answered that the gold nib feels the same as the steel.

 

 

 

I try to describe my impressions of the nibs.

The steel nib performs very well and the ink flow is fine. BTW I use broad nibs. Writing with the gold nib is much smoother. The nib offers some flex, not much, but enough flex to offer line variations.

I agree with you that the difference is not as much as the upgrade costs might suggest. I also had to exchange the first nib as the first gold nib was a little bit scratchy. But the second nib is really good.

Regards, Ingolf.

[moomaloo]

Hi moomaloo:

 

Both Kaweco AL Sport are small and beautiful pens.

My experience is that the silver finish is a coated silver and is similar to the look of Apple´s MacBook devices. Whereas the raw finish is more a "workhorse" finish.

 

That means if you get scratches on the silver finish model then the scratches are flaws. Scratches on the raw finish model will look like patina .

 

IMG_3681.jpg

 

Whatever model you choose you should consider to add a clip. And you should also think about a gold nib. The steel nib is pretty good but the gold nib is far better.

 

Regards, Ingolf.

 

Many thanks Ingolf. That answers my question perfectly. - I'll go for the raw finish as patina is definitely what I'm after. A few weeks in a pocket with keys and coins should do it!

[tinta]

 

Would you explain more specifically how the gold nib compares with the steeI one? I asked on another thread, probably more than a year ago, and someone answered that the gold nib feels the same as the steel.

 

I asked because I love the design of the Sport and am tempted by the metal ones but have been disappointed with the nib on my Classic Sport. Converting my pen to an eyedropper and using the wettest possible inks has helped quite a bit, but the idea of upgrading the nib keeps drifting back into my mind. If I got a metal Sport and the nib was similar to the steel, I wouldn't have the option to boost the flow by making it an eyedropper.

I cannot comment on the performance differences (if any) between the stainless & the 14c nibs. If you are considering regrinding your nibs though, then the gold nib series may have advantages over the stainless steel series.

That said, a precisely ground, well adjusted nib should write well, either steel or gold.

 

At the moment I own four Kaweco/Bock (060) 14c nib-units that I rotate among two Dia2s (full size) & a stainless Lilliput pen. I chose gold because I just like the looks of yellow gold,... period, specially the 14c variety.

 

In addition, the 14c nibs seem to have more tipping on them than the ss. nibs. For each of the nib grades (..., M, B, BB), there is a larger hunk of tipping material on the tip of the gold nibs than on the standard Kaweco (060) stainless series. Cult Pens (where I sourced my nibs) told me that from the narrowest XF to the widest BB, Kaweco's gold nibs have more tipping, hence write slightly wider.

All the better for a nib technician to grind you a wider (italic style) nib, if you wish.

 

The tipping on my BB nib was originally massive, giving me more than 1.1mm on the finished stub. One of the two B nibs was reduced to a 0.8 mm, the other to an even narrower 0.6 mm. This narrower B stub sits in my daily carry Lilliput, a very convenient little writer. My gold M nib was ground to about a 0.4-0.5 mm. stub.

 

Both steel & gold nib units use exactly the same Kaweco/Bock 060 feed. My nib-tech (Pendleton Brown) had to spend extra time adjusting the ink channel on every single nib-unit he worked on.

In general I use dry inks (either Pelikan 4001 blue/black carts or bottled IG inks) for which I need a wet pen. The feeds that come straight out of the Kaweco (Bock) factory tend to be "dry" at best, so they need to have their ink channels adjusted (made deeper) to flow well with dry inks.

 

Soon I'll be sending Pendleton a stainless steel M nib, to stub & to adjust its feed for a more generous flow of ink. Then I can make a direct comparison between a stainless & a 14c M (0.4 mm.) & comment further on member ENewton's post.

Edited March 3, 2018 by tinta

[ENewton]

I cannot comment on the performance differences (if any) between the stainless & the 14c nibs. If you are considering regrinding your nibs though, then the gold nib series may have advantages over the stainless steel series.

That said, a precisely ground, well adjusted nib should write well, either steel or gold.

 

At the moment I own four Kaweco/Bock (060) 14c nib-units that I rotate among two Dia2s (full size) & a stainless Lilliput pen. I chose gold because I just like the looks of yellow gold,... period, specially the 14c variety.

 

In addition, the 14c nibs seem to have more tipping on them than the ss. nibs. For each of the nib grades (..., M, B, BB), there is a larger hunk of tipping material on the tip of the gold nibs than on the standard Kaweco (060) stainless series. Cult Pens (where I sourced my nibs) told me that from the narrowest XF to the widest BB, Kaweco's gold nibs have more tipping, hence write slightly wider.

All the better for a nib technician to grind you a wider (italic style) nib, if you wish.

 

The tipping on my BB nib was originally massive, giving me more than 1.1mm on the finished stub. One of the two B nibs was reduced to a 0.8 mm, the other to an even narrower 0.6 mm. This narrower B stub sits in my daily carry Lilliput, a very convenient little writer. My gold M nib was ground to about a 0.4-0.5 mm. stub.

 

Both steel & gold nib units use exactly the same Kaweco/Bock 060 feed. My nib-tech (Pendleton Brown) had to spend extra time adjusting the ink channel on every single nib-unit he worked on.

In general I use dry inks (either Pelikan 4001 blue/black carts or bottled IG inks) for which I need a wet pen. The feeds that come straight out of the Kaweco (Bock) factory tend to be "dry" at best, so they need to have their ink channels adjusted (made deeper) to flow well with dry inks.

 

Soon I'll be sending Pendleton a stainless steel M nib, to stub & to adjust its feed for a more generous flow of ink. Then I can make a direct comparison between a stainless & a 14c M (0.4 mm.) & comment further on member ENewton's post.

 

Thank you for this detailed reply. I look forward to learning more from your experience.

[aeba]

Many thanks Ingolf. That answers my question perfectly. - I'll go for the raw finish as patina is definitely what I'm after. A few weeks in a pocket with keys and coins should do it!

I suppose you have already seen the stonewashed Al-sports. Some people like that, some people don't. How long it would take for a norma Al-Sport carried with keys and coins to wear to that kind of condition, I have no idea.